Melbourne teacher arrested after marijuana found in purseMELBOURNE (AP) — A north Arkansas teacher has been arrested after authorities say a drug dog found marijuana in her purse inside her classroom. Investigators say the Melbourne High School teacher knew the canine would be used to inspect vehicles in the school's parking lot. The Izard County Sheriff says it appears she removed about 27 bags of the drug from her son's car and stuffed them into her bag to protect him from the search. Deputies sea...

Running team honors fallen soldiersOZARK — A team of active duty and reserve airmen, soldiers, marines and Arkansas State Police will embark on a 146-mile memorial run to honor every Arkansas service member who died while serving our country since Sept. 11, 2001. The “Arkansas Run for the Fallen” will take off at 10 a.m. March 20 at the Ozark City Hall and finish at the Arkansas State Capitol on March 22. Runners will stop at various locations throughout Russellville every 10 m...

Proposal to end life without parole for juveniles tabledLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A proposal to end life without parole sentences for juveniles stalled before a legislative panel on Tuesday after facing heavy opposition from the state's prosecutors. The House Judiciary Committee tabled the proposal to amend Arkansas' sentencing laws to eliminate life without parole sentences for offenders who were younger than 18 when they committed their crimes. The legislation would apply retroactively to dozens of pris...

House supports shielding utility customer recordsLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas House members have given final approval to a measure to provide municipal power companies greater exemptions from public records requests. Lawmakers voted 90-0 Tuesday to protect cities from certain requests made under the state Freedom of Information Act. Any member of the public can currently request a customer's usage or personal information. Details about a power company's infrastructure are also open record. Pr...

Lawmaker calls for moving up Arkansas presidential primaryLITTLE ROCK (AP) — An Arkansas lawmaker is proposing moving the state's presidential primary from May to March as part of an effort to create a regional nominating contest among several Southern states. Republican Sen. Gary Stubblefield of Branch filed legislation Tuesday that would move the state's presidential primary in 2016 from May 17 to March 1. Several states have proposed moving their nominating contests to that day and create what the...

House rejects school district formation billLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A proposal to relax restrictions on creating new Arkansas school districts narrowly failed in the House. Lawmakers voted 49-25 on Tuesday to reject a proposal to lower the amount of students an upstart district needs to splinter from an existing one. The measure fell two votes shy of being approved. Republican Rep. Mark Lowery of Maumelle wants to lessen the requirement to 2,500 students. He said the move would allow Maumell...

Couples ask Arkansas court to allow gay marriages to resumeLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Couples challenging Arkansas' gay marriage ban asked the state's highest court on Tuesday to lift its stay in their lawsuit and allow clerks to resume issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Attorneys for the couples called on justices to set aside their stay of Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza's May ruling striking down a 2004 constitutional amendment and earlier state law defining marriage as between a man ...

Wal-Mart driver appeals in bid to delay Morgan crash suitNEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A Wal-Mart driver involved in a highway crash that killed a comic and severely injured actor-comedian Tracy Morgan has asked a judge to reconsider her decision not to delay Morgan's lawsuit against the company. Truck driver Kevin Roper isn't a defendant in Morgan's lawsuit against Bentonville-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc., but he wants to intervene to delay it from moving forward until his criminal case is resolved. He filed h...

State's top lawyer applauds immigration rulingLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge is praising a ruling by a Texas judge that temporarily blocks President Barack Obama's executive action on immigration. Attorney General Leslie Rutledge said in a statement Tuesday will reign in what she said is a president who is attempting to bypass Congress. U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen's decision late Monday puts on hold Obama's orders that could spare from deportation as man...

House panel OKs rollback on fluoride requirementLITTLE ROCK (AP) — An Arkansas House committee on Tuesday endorsed a proposal to let water suppliers opt out of a statewide fluoridation requirement, siding with the bill sponsor who said such decisions should be made on the local level. The House Committee on Public Health, Welfare and Labor voted 11-5 on Tuesday to support the move despite pushback from the state Department of Health and the Arkansas Children's Hospital. Opponents told lawma...

State prison worker accused of having sex with inmateCALICO ROCK (AP) — A contract employee for a state prison is accused of having sex with an inmate in the infirmary of the northern Arkansas facility. According to a press release by the Izard County sheriff, Megan E. Pereira, 27, of Mountain Home worked in the infirmary at the Calico Rock prison. She's charged with eight counts of felony third-degree sexual assault. Pereira was arrested last week by the Arkansas State Police and has been relea...

Jonesboro transportation officials to mull university loopJONESBORO (AP) — Jonesboro transportation officials are set to consider the completion of a loop around the Arkansas State University campus. The Jonesboro Sun reported a Jonesboro Area Transportation Study Metropolitan Planning Organization committee will mull the plan on Tuesday. The overall cost of the University Loop Extension project has been estimated at $2.5 million. Officials plan to extend a portion of the loop from the east side of t...

Entergy Arkansas power outages now around 5,000 LITTLE ROCK — Entergy Arkansas says the number of customers still without power after a winter storm moved across the state is now around 5,000. Most of the outages are in the southwest part of the state. Entergy said some repairs may take until Wednesday because icy roads have made travel difficult and slowed work. Entergy said more than 30,000 customers lost power during the storms, primarily due to ice-covered trees and limbs falling onto p...

Craft beer breweries gain popularity in central ArkansasLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Craft beer breweries are gaining popularity in central Arkansas, as the state catches up with a national obsession with craft beers. There are six establishments on either side of the Arkansas River. And the area's close-knit and growing brewing community is already looking for ways to promote its offerings to residents and tourists, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported Sunday (http://bit.ly/1AF4OOK ). "Tourism is a ...

Winter weather postpones Southwest StakesHOT SPRINGS, Ark. (AP) - The $300,000 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park has been postponed because of snow and ice accumulation across Arkansas. It's the third time since 2006 the annual Presidents' Day race has been moved because of wintry weather. Track officials say the 1 1/16-mile Kentucky Derby prep race will be rescheduled for next weekend at a time to be determined. Far Right, trained by Ron Moquett, was a 3-1 favorite for the projected ...

2 Clark County jail workers face battery chargesARKADELPHIA, Ark. (AP) - The Arkansas State Police says two Clark County jail employees have been arrested on second-degree battery charges involving an inmate. The state agency's spokesman, Bill Sadler, says the workers were both taken into custody Friday following an investigation at the request of Clark County prosecutor Blake Batson. Further details about the arrests of the 25-year-old and 28-year-old employees weren't released. A message ...

Jonesboro transportation officials to mull university loopJONESBORO, Ark. (AP) - Jonesboro transportation officials are set to consider the completion of a loop around the Arkansas State University campus. The Jonesboro Sun (http://bit.ly/1vPoPCc ) reports a Jonesboro Area Transportation Study Metropolitan Planning Organization committee will mull the plan on Tuesday. The overall cost of the University Loop Extension project has been estimated at $2.5 million. Officials plan to extend a portion of th...

Wintry weather shuts down Arkansas Legislature for the dayLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - The Arkansas Legislature has cancelled its proceedings for the day due to a winter storm that dropped snow, sleet and freezing rain throughout the state. State House and Senate officials on Monday cancelled meetings and votes that had been scheduled in both chambers. Monday marked the beginning of the sixth week of the legislative session, which first convened Jan. 12. Offices for both chambers were also closed for the...

Winter storm prompts flight cancellations at LR airportLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Dozens of flights in and out of Arkansas' busiest airport have been cancelled due to snow, sleet and freezing rain that has hit the state. Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport remained open on Monday, but spokesman Shane Carter said that 35 flights in and out of the airport had been cancelled due to the wintry weather. Carter said additional crews were working at the airport to keep the airfield and parking lots c...

Arkansas officials say storm damage less than expectedLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Arkansas safety and transportation officials on Monday said the fallout from sleet and snow wasn't as bad as officials feared after temperatures dropped more than 40 degrees in two days. Arkansas State Police spokesman Bill Sadler said troopers didn't report any fatal or serious crashes in the morning hours as temperatures dropped to about 25 degrees in Little Rock. He said officers were primarily responding to vehicle...